A Tale of Two Cities (1859) , Dickens ` greatest historical novel, traces the private lives of a group of people caught up in the cateclysm of the French Revelation and the Terror. Dickens based his historical detail on Carlyle`s great work – The French Revolution – and also on his own observations and investigations during numerous visits to Paris.

`The best story I have written` was Dickens` ovn verdict on A Tale of Two Cities, and the reader is unlikely to disagree with this judgement of a story which combines historical fact with the author`s unsurpassedr genius for poignant tales of human suffering, self-sacrifice, and redemption.